CRACKS IN HIS ARMOR
342 Words
Selena wasn’t sure when she started listening for his footsteps.
But that night, when the hall creaked outside her door, she knew it was him. She didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Just stared at the ceiling, heartbeat loud in her ears.
His steps paused.
Then passed.
She exhaled slowly. Relief… and something else. Disappointment?
⸻
The next morning, she woke to raised voices downstairs.
She crept down the staircase, careful to stay out of sight, until she saw him.
Luca. Standing in the foyer with another man older, angry, and clearly powerful.
“You brought her into this house without consulting the council?” the man barked.
“She’s legal,” Luca replied coolly.
“She’s a weakness.”
“She’s covered.”
The man stepped closer. “She’s a target.”
Selena’s pulse jumped.
Target?
Luca’s voice turned cold. “If anyone touches her, they’ll answer to me.”
Selena backed away slowly, heart pounding.
⸻
Later, Luca found her in the library. His presence filled the room before he even spoke.
“How much did you hear?” he asked.
She closed the book in her hands. “Enough to know I’m more than a wife. I’m a liability.”
His jaw flexed. “You were never supposed to hear that.”
“But it’s true.”
He didn’t deny it.
She stood. “You didn’t marry me to protect me. You married me to protect yourself.”
“No,” he said, and for once, his voice was softer. “I married you because I didn’t have a choice.”
Selena frowned. “What does that mean?”
Luca looked at her really looked and for a heartbeat, she thought he might tell her the truth.
But then the wall came back up.
“Go to your room. Don’t leave until I say.”
⸻
That night, Selena lay awake, the contract heavy on her nightstand like a loaded gun.
What had she stepped into?
And why did part of her still feel safe… when the danger looked like Luca?
- Writer
